Ever since the September-October issue of The Horn Book for 1939, Alice Jordan has edited the Booklist regularly. Her editorship marked a real advance in the value of the magazine, for her judgment of books has always been based upon her close association with children and their books. Moreover her notes have had so fine a writing style as to be miniature essays on books. Her retirement from the editing of the Booklist is a real blow to The Horn Book. Nevertheless we know she is right to want to spend longer seasons at the home she and her sister have made on Grand Manan and to have more time for her own reading and leisure. We have been fortunate to have her help for so long a time. It has indeed been much longer than the eleven years of the Booklist editorship. Our association and friendship go back to 1914. She will continue to write for The Horn Book and to keep her close relation with its editors.

We welcomed Ruth Sawyer’s suggestion that this issue of The Horn Book should carry a special message to Anne Carroll Moore as expressed in her paper on pages 245 to 251. We know that the value of The Three Owls’ Notebook is inestimable and we believe that many of our subscribers turn first upon receiving a new issue to Miss Moore’s pages of unexcelled critical writing. Our guest during the ten days of June when the woods were glorious with mountain laurel and the garden presenting a show of Canterbury Bells in her honor, it has been hard to keep the secret of this issue from Miss Moore, especially with proofs being read meanwhile.

Alice Jordan and Anne Carroll Moore, mutual friends of long standing as well as friends of The Horn Book and of mine, we hereby acknowledge once more our deep and abiding debt to you both, and our love. May The Horn Book continue to justify your help and your faith.

From the July/August 1950 issue of the Horn Book Magazine.